Evergreen High School Shooter Identified as Desmond Holly

Lead Authorities identified 16-year-old Desmond Holly as the shooter at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, on Wednesday, injuring two students before fatally shooting himself.

Nut Graf The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office revealed Holly, radicalized by an extremist network, brought a revolver and ample ammunition to campus, firing multiple times both inside and outside the school before being found by deputies and later dying of a self-inflicted wound.

What Happened

  • At approximately 12:30 p.m. local time on September 10, Holly opened fire on classmates as they rode the morning bus and inside the three-story school building.
  • He reloaded repeatedly, targeting students in hallways and near lockers until deputies arrived within five minutes and found him wounded by his own shot.
  • Two victims were transported to St. Anthony Hospital; one remains in critical condition, the other stable but still hospitalized.

Investigation Underway

  • Authorities obtained warrants Thursday to search Holly’s phone, locker, and family home as they seek to uncover how he acquired the firearm and ammunition.
  • Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley confirmed Holly had been “radicalized by some extremist network,” though details of that network have not been released.
  • The FBI and NCIS are assisting local investigators with multiple crime scenes both inside the school and on a nearby public street.

School and Community Response

  • Evergreen High School and nearby schools in the Conifer area canceled classes Thursday and Friday to allow for investigation and cleanup.
  • Counselors and mental health resources have been made available at Bergen Meadow Elementary for students and families.
  • Staff and students executed lockdown drills effectively, with Kelley praising their actions for likely saving lives: “They did their job, they did it well”.

Context and Relevance

Evergreen High School is part of Jefferson County Public Schools-the same district that includes Columbine High School, site of the 1999 massacre-underscoring enduring concerns over school safety and radicalization threats in the region.